Starstruck
by sk8r-grl
Summary: Claire is dragged to LA by her friend who is following the band DriveSHAFT around. Claire thinks she knows what the band is all about until she runs into the bass player. sort of based on the plot of Starstruck, the Disney channel movie
1. Los Angeles

Claire walked into the living room and hears the familiar sound of celebrity news coming from the television. Her friend, April, was staring at the television with wide eyes. Claire passed the tv and her drooling friend in time to hear the most overplayed song in their flat. "You all everybody! You all everybody!" April sang, turning the television set up louder. Claire smiled, grabbing a jug of orange juice from the fridge. She poured herself a glass before replacing the jug and going to sit beside her friend. April looked at Claire and giddily laughs. Claire rolled her eyes at her friend's excitement. She took a sip of her juice, listening to April sing off-key to the entire song.

When the song ended and DriveSHAFT's part of the news was over, April turned to face Claire. "Can you believe we're going to Los Angeles?!" she giggledexcitedly.

"Yeah, it should be fun," Claire addedShe liked the idea of LA, but not the fact that April was only interested in DriveSHAFT being there.

"C'mon, Claire! Aren't you super excited?" April nearly squealed, shaking Claire's shoulder.

Claire steadied her sloshing orange juice before taking another sip. She swallowed, pursed her lips into a smile and nodded. "Yeah, April. I'm really glad we're going. I can't wait to see Rodeo Drive and the beaches and--"

"DriveSHAFT!" April piped in, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah. Them, too." Claire muttered, faking a smile.

"I know you don't like them as much as me, but they're okay, right?" April asked, biting her lip.

Claire's eyebrows shot up as she protested, "No, April, I like them. Not as much as you, but they're pretty good."

"You sure?"

"Positive,"

"Okay!" April brightened up again. That was the best thing about April-- she didn't stay upset long. "We can stay at my uncle's house. It's really nice! Oh, Claire! And it's right by the stadium DriveSHAFT's playing in! It'll be marvelous! Did you pack your swimsuit? Cuz we're definitely swimming! But I want to spend some of my time with DriveSHAFT. I do happen to be one of their number one fans. I'm even on their "top fans" page on their site!"

Claire smiled blankly as April rattled on. She inserted her own comments here and there, but April was too busy chattering about DriveSHAFT and Liam and Charlie as if they were her best mates. That was the worst thing about April-- she was completely in love with DriveSHAFT. Claire excused herself from April's speech to finish her packing. Claire sighed when she reached the safety of her rooom. No DriveSHAFT posters, no DriveSHAFT music, no DriveSHAFT anything. Just peace and quiet. Claire hummed tunelessly to herself as she double-checked her suitcase. She lays out her outfit for tomorrow and packs a few things she had forgotten. These things included sun-screen, perfume, and her disposable camera.

The day faded into the darkness of night and Claire and April drifted off to sleep.

The plane ride to LA was pretty uneventful. April slept half the way there as did Claire. The other half, April was either talking about DriveSHAFT or listening to them on her iPod. Claire, on the other hand, was busy reading her copy of 1984. She barely acknowledged Aprils chattering. Soon, the plane skidded to a stop on the runway and April nearly pushed people out of her way. Claire followed her friend calmly and stepped out of the plane and into sunny California. The two friends dawned their sunglasses and went to April's uncle's home by taxi cab. The uncle's home was beautiful. It was only one story, but had a very luxurious feel to it. It was close to the beach and-- according to April-- close to the concert area. Claire set up her things in her bedroom and in the bathroom that was attatched to it. It was a very classy house; more like a hotel suite or something. Claire dawned her swinsuit and walked out to the beach. She laid out a towel on the sand and laid out to tan her white body. She was letting the sun darken her skin when a shadow fell across her eyes. She opened her eyes and saw April leaning over her, biting her lip. Claire sighed as she pushed herself to a seat.

"What, April?" Claire asked, shading her eyes with her hand.

"DriveSHAFT is doing a concert for Charlie's girlfriend tonight at the Sunny21 club... Will you pretty please go with me?" April pleaded, folding her hands together.

Claire inwardly groaned, but going to the club couldn't be all bad, right? "Sure, let's go." Claire replied.

April squealed, jumping up and down. "They're getting there at ten and it's already six. Let's eat and then get dressed."

Claire stood, grabbed her towel, and followed her extatic pal back to the house.

Three hours later, April was in a red mini-dress with black heels. Claire wore a knee-length, turquise dress that was elegant, but also flirty. She hadn't dressed up this nice in a long time. Not since she had dated Thomas... She grimaced; she was so glad she had broke that off before it got too serious. April walked in and posed for Claire. Claire laughed at her silly friend before finishing up her makeup. April was dancing like a little kid who had to go to the bathroom. "Are you ready? The club is twenty minutes from here and I wanna get there a little early." April stated.

"Let's go," Claire smiled as she grabbed her silver clutch.

They hopped into April's uncle's old Ford Focus and drove down to the Sunny21. They arrived ten minutes until ten o'clock. There was already a crowd; April shoved her way through. Claire foillowed April's little path. She looked around the club, taking in the pounding music and bright, flashing lights. April was already dancing her way to the front. Claire laughed at her friend's antics. She came up beside April and they danced to a Beyonce song before the lights dimmed until the club was nearly pitch-black. April screamed so loud, Claire feared her ears would burst. The band walked onto the stage and the lights focused on the individuals. The song "You All Everybody" was the first song they played. They only played two more after that before they said they'd be signing autographs. "I'm going out for some ir!" Claire yelled over the pounding bass. April nodded before rushing towards the autograph area.

Claire left through the entrance and headed down the dark alley behind the club. A cool breeze hit her and she closed her eyes and enjoyed it. She walked slowly down the alley and played with the ruffles of her skirt. She was nearing a door when it swung open as she lowered her head. The door smacked the top of her head harshly and with a smack. Claire stumbled backwards and falls to the pavement. "Ouch." Claire murmured, tears stinging her eyes.

"Oh, bloddy... Sorry, miss. Sorry. Sorry." a voice from the door states, panic laced on every word.

Claire touches her head in a daze of pain. She looks up and there, standing over her, is none other than Charlie Pace.

The bass player of DriveSHAFT.

SHe wanted to tell him it was okay that he cracked her skull open with a door, but all that came out of her mouth was vomit... All over his shoes.


	2. Papparrazzi

"Bloody hell, oh my... Are you alright?" Charlie Pace asked, sounding a bit hysterical. Claire had, after all, just gotten sick all over his shoes.

"I'm ok. I'm ok," Claire muttered, pulling a tissue from her clutch to wipe her mouth with.

"Uhm...?" Charlie ran a hand through his hair, glancing about nervously. "C'mon, let's get you to a doctor."

Claire looked up at his outstretched hand. She furrowed her brow, but reached out and grabbed it in her own hand. He helped hoist her to her feet, acting as if Claire was a glass doll. She wobbled in her heels a tad, but steadied herself before slipping the uncomfortable shoes off her feet. Charlie wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She non-chalantly shrugged it off. She held her head as it throbbed and her stomach flipped upside down. Charlie looked a tad rejected, but led her down the alley, away from the street. He threw his hood over his head so that the shadow obscured most of his face. Claire gazed at him, confused by his odd dress-code.

He saw her looking and began, "I can't let people see me or... it'll get crazy."

Claire nodded, holding her stomach as it rolled violently. Charlie pulled a set of keys from his pocket and pointed them at a new, navy blue sports car that was nearly invisible in the dark alley's shadows. The lights flashed on as he unlocked the car. He opened the door for Claire before jogging around to the driver's side. Claire fumbled with her seatbelt after she closed the car door. She clicked the belt in place as Charlie started the vehicle. It roared to life under them. Charlie drove throughout the alley until he pulled onto the road. He drove quietly down the bright city streets. Claire stared out the windows, focusing on not getting sick in this car. Charlie pulled into a hospital, parked, and helped her into the building. After the doctor checked Claire over, he ruled that she had not gotten a concussion, but the vomitting was due to some bad food she had eaten and that-- since she had thrown most of it up-- she would be perfectly fine. Charlie ducked in from behind the curtains and asked, "She okay, doc?"

"She's fine, Charlie. She's lucky you didn't wreck on the way here." the doctor joked.

"Hush, Blake," Charlie laughed.

"You know each other?" Claire asked, lifting one eyebrow.

"He's an old schoolmate." Charlie informed her with a soft smile.

She looked away from him quickly. She knew his type. Rock star. They thought they could just flash that charming smile at you and you'd fall for them. _Well_, thought Claire, _I'm not falling for that._ She looked back at Blake who was casually going over notes while chit-chatting with Charlie. Blake turned to her, ice-pack in his hands. "Here, keep this on your head. You've got quite a bump there." Blake told Claire. She accepted the ice-pack thankfully and pressed it to the small lump on her head. Charlie and Blake spoke a little more, reminiscing or whatever. Claire, however, felt completely left out and awkward. She stood up, still holding the ice-pack to her head with one hand, and grabbed her heels.

"Can I go home now?" she asked, not wanting to sound rude or impatient.

"Yes, Claire," Blake nodded with a friendly smile. He waved her and Charlie to the door.

Charlie coughed as they walked down the hall. Claire knew he was trying to fill the awkward silence that mingled between them. She wanted to fill it, too, but she didn't want him thinking she was a fan or anything. Because she wasn't. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys as they reached the sliding-glass doors that left the hospital. Once again, he obscured his face with the shadow of his hoodie. Claire didn't know if he just didn't want to be seen with her or what his deal was. She shrugged it off; in a few minutes, she'd be back at the house and he'd be back to his rockstar life. She stepped into his car, pulling the door closed behind her. He was in the car seconds later. After pulling out of the lot, Charlie turned on the radio. Coincidentally, it was playing one of DriveSHAFT's songs. This one was more pop-like than the rock and roll hit "You All Everytbody." Charlie started singing along to it, flashing a smile at Claire while singing. She didn't smile back, but she wanted to. She didn't know why, but this guy made her heart skip a beat... And she was trying to fight those feelings.

She scoffed at him. "What?" he asked, turning off the radio.

"You. Trying to impress me by singing to me and..." she stopped because he was smiling at her again.

"And smiling at me like that." she finished.

"Like what?" he laughed, turning a corner.

"Like... I don't know." Claire huffed, readjusting her ice-pack.

"Look, I'm really sorry about your head." Charlie said after a long silence.

"It's okay." Claire answered, staring out the window instead of looking at him.

"Oh, uh, okay..." Charlie faltered as he turned into a driveway.

"Where are we?" Claire asked, feeling stupid that she hadn't paid attention to his driving.

"Oh, uh, I have to stop by me and my brother's vacation house to set up for an afterparty he's having." Charlie informed her as he cut off the car's engine.

Claire climbed out of the car, leaving her shoes in the floorboard. Charlie glanced over his shoulder at her before opening the door to the house for her. She brushed by him into the house where she stood, holding her ice-pack at her side. This house looked more like a mansion. Not quite as large as a mansion, but just as luxurious and expensive-looking. She watched Charlie close the door before he walked over to the kitchen area. She followed him into the kitchen. He was digging through the fridge, pulling out multiple dips and drinks. There must have been a dozen cases of beer in the fridge. Claire rolled her eyes; typical rockstar party. Beer, beer, and more beer. Claire stood in the middle of the large kitchen, shifting from one foot to another. Charlie finally took notice of her after awhile and his eyebrows raised.

"Sorry about dragging you here, I just..." he stopped short, messing with his golden brown hair. "C'mon, I'll take you home now that everything's set up for the party."

"When does the party start?" Claire asked detatchedly.

"Oh, any minute now, I guess." Charlie replied after checking the time.

Claire wondered, "Won't you miss some of the party if you take me home now?"

Charlie shrugged. "Sure," he answered simply as he grabbed his keys from the counter and headed to the front door.

Claire followed silently, chewing on the small conversation they had just had. She remained silent until he began pulling out of the driveway. "Why don't you care if you miss the party? I mean, you are part of DriveSHAFT. So, it's your party, too." she said, speaking aloud what she had been pondering.

Charlie glanced at her, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I thought you didn't care." he muttered, pulling up to a stop light.

"I don't." Claire murmured back. As the sat at the stop light, a surge of cars passed them and drove in the direction of Charlie's vacation house.

The ride home, neither of the two spoke except when Claire gave Charlie directions to April's uncle's house. Claire exhaled with relief as Charlie pulled up to the house. She clambered out of the car, grabbing her purse and shoes. "Thanks for the ride." she politely said before closing the car door. She walked up the sidewalk and into the house.

* * *

Charlie watched her walk up to the house with a smile. He had forgotten to say 'you're welcome' to her thank you and contemplated over whether or not to roll down the window and say it. By the time he thought of this, she had shut the door and was gone inside the house. He sighed and started to back out of the driveway when, in his rearview mirrors he spotted a large, black an slowly driving by. He grumbled under his breath and turned off his car. Silently, he climbed out of the car and crept up to the front door of the house. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door urgently and waited for Claire to answer. He smiled sheepishly at her when she opened the door. He noticed her frown when she saw him.

"What now?" she asked, her voice on the edge of a whine.

"Can I ask you a favor?" he nervously pleaded with a small smile.

"Okay, what is it?" Claire complied.

A few minutes later, Charlie and Claire were pushing Charlie's car into the open cavern of the garage. "Can't you push a little hardre?" Claire groaned.

Charlie dug his heels into the ground and helped shove the car. "I'm doing my best." he grunted. They finally got the car into the garage and Claire closed the garage door behind them. The garage door groaned and squeaked as it automatically slid shut. Claire turned on the overhead lights and looked around; the garage had just enough room for one car. She looked back at Charlie who was taking in the surroundings. Charlie looked at her before asking, "Mind if I look around?"

"Go ahead," Claire sighed.

Charlie rifled through a stack of cardboard boxes until he found an old, blue and white baseball cap. "I need something to disguise me so the papparrazzi won't recognize me," he explained to Claire as he pulled the cap onto his head.

He heard Claire utter, "Paranoid," under her breath, but ignored it.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked, turning to face her and show her the hat.

"It looks kind of good on you." Claire smiled.

Charlie looked at the ground before glancing back up at Claire and smiling.

"Stop smiling at me like that," Claire told him, blushing a light pink.

"Sorry," Charlie chuckled.

"Good night... You'll be gone by morning, right?" Claire asked as she headed to the door.

Charlie nodded. "No one will ever know I was here." he told her.

"Okay. Night." Claire said with a wave.

"G'night," Charlie replied.


	3. On the Run

Claire woke up at around seven in the morning. She sat up in bed quickly. She threw her feet over the edge of the bed and hopped out of bed. She kicked her discarded ice-pack while taking her first step to the bathroom. She bent over and groggily picked up the ice-pack. All of last night's memories instantlycame flooding back, awakening her foggy mind. She chunked the pack into the trash can before throwing her hair into a messy bun. She walked into the kitchen in her pajamas and saw April seated at the table with a plate of eggs and a pancake. April looked up from the morning paper and smiled at Claire. Claire smiled back.

"Morning," April said, taking a sip of her milk.

"Morning," Claire responded, her voice cracking. She poured herself a glass of milk and prepared a pancake April had made for her.

Claire sat at the table with her pancake. "Thanks for making me this." Claire told her friend as she scooped up a bite of the syrup-covered pancake to her mouth.

"No problem..." April responded slowly. She waved her fork at Claire. "What happened to you last night?"

"What?!" Claire squeaked, looking up at April. Did she know?

April chewed on her eggs before answering. "You said you were going out for some air, but you like disappeared." April reminded Claire.

Claire swallowed down some milk, nodding. "Oh yeah," she murmured, relief washing over her.

"So..?" April prodded. "What happened? Where'd you go?"

"Oh, uhm, I went outside... And I got sick, so I just came back here." Claire answered, telling part of the truth. She needn't spill all the details of her night, they were better off forgotten. Claire changed the subject. "So, what all did you do? You didn't get back 'till late."

"Oh, well, I watched DriveSHAFT, of course." April gushed, a big smile on her face. "And then, they had an after party. It was really fun."  
"You went to that?" Claire asked, shocked.

"Sure, I went with a group of girls who knew Liam. I never saw him or Charlie, though." April sighed at the end of this statement.

"How long did you stay at the party?" Claire asked, thinking about how Charlie missed the party. Because of her.

"Oh, until around two am... I never got around to pulling the car into the garage." April thought aloud. "I think I'll pull in now. Wouldn't want it to get stolen."

Claire watched April walk out until the thought occurred to her... Charlie was in there! Claire hopped to her feet. "No! I'll move the car!" she protested, racing out the door after her friend. April was already pulling up the driveway. She clicked the automatic garage door opener. Claire held her breath, waiting for April's scream that would break the sound barrier. Claire looked as the garage door slowly creaked open... He wasn't in there. He and his sports car were gone; not a trace of Charlie was left. Claire released her breath. It was as if he had never been there. Claire watched April pull into the garage thoughtfully. Now Claire wouldn't ever have to tell April about all that happened. This was a good thing, right? She shook her head, trying to clear it of its thoughts. Why was she thinking about Charlie so much? He was just another stuck-up rock star. April walked up to Claire saying, "Well, I'm going to take a nap. When I wake up, wanna go to the beach? I heard Charlie always goes to that beach when he's in LA." Claire nodded. "Sure." she murmured, following April into the house. She was going to shower and take a nap as well.

Claire awoke from her nap and prepared herself for the beach with April. Claire gathered her towel and sunscreen and she and April climbed into the car and drove the short distance to the beach. April immediately went to where a group of surfers were gathered to check if one was Charlie or Liam. Claire watched her friend scurry off before looking for an empty chair. She spotted an empty seat... Beside a familiar baseball cap. She smiled, shaking her head and went to the empty seat. She lowered herself to a seat in the chair beside the man. Dark sunglasses concealed his eyes while the cap hid his hair and put a shadow over most of his face. She cleared her throat noisily and the man stirred, yawning a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you, sir?" she asked with a laugh.

The man looked at her, looked away, then, did a double-take. "Hey, you're that Claire bird from last night." he exclaimed, sitting upright in his chair. He pulled off his shades.

"That's me." Claire replied. "Did you sleep here?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I slept in your garage for the most part, but then, came out here so I wouldn't be seen by anyone." Charlie explained.

"Okay," Claire rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here? Are you following me?" Charlie asked, a smile on his lips.

"Yes. Well, _I'm _not. My friend, April, is." Claire stated, pointing out her friend who was laying out her towel.

"I see." Charlie nodded. "So, feeling better?"

"Yeah," Claire replied.

Charlie looked at the road just in time to see three large, black vans pulling into the beach's parking lot. "Bloody..." he murmured. He shoved the shades back over his eyes. "Can I use your car?" he asked Claire hastily.

"What?! Why?!" Claire exclaimed, shocked by his outburst.

"The papparrazzi are here... I need another car!" he whispered loudly.

"We can't just leave April without a car!" Claire hissed.

Charlie reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a set of keys to his sports car. "Give these to April." he offered.

"Wait, what?" Claire stammered.

"So we don't have to leave her car-less." he elaborated.

"Okay, gimme a second." Claire said, snatching the keys from his hand.

Claire tip-toed over to where April lay sunbathing. She dug around in her friend's purse and grabbed the car keys in one hand while replacing them with Charlie's keys with her other hand. Once she finished pick-pocketing April's purse, Claire scrambled back to where Charlie sat. She gave him the keys and they raced up to the parking lot wher a mass of papparrazzi waited, cameras in-hand. Charlie and Claire crept to the car. Charlie unlocked his door before reaching across the seat to open Claire's door for her. The door smacked Claire in the head as it opened. Charlie winced, pulling his hand away. Claire got into the car with a hand to her head.

"You really need to stop doing that." she muttered, buckling her seat belt.

"Sorry," Charlie apologized. He started the car and tore out of the parking lot.

The reporters saw the car and sprinted to their vans. Charlie cursed.

"What?" Claire asked, gripping the dashboard with fear.

"They saw us... They're coming." Charlie grumbled.

"Oh, let's have some fun with them." Claire grinned wickedly.

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Step on it! Let's go!" Claire squealed, glancing back at the vans trainling after them.

"Alright, hold on tight." Charlie winked.

Charlie slammed down on the gas, taking the car from thirty miles an hour to nearly eighty in mere seconds. Claire braced herself, holding onto the car. An old song by Queen came on the radio and Claire reached over and turned it up so that the music radiated from the car in almost visible wavelengths. Caherlie grinned broadly, swerving into different lanes and onto different roads until they were out on a winding back road. The papparrazzi was left somewhere in downtown LA. Claire and Charlie sang along to the song at the top of their lungs. Charlie had slowed the car down to a reasonable speed now and was hitting the wheel to the beat of the song as he belted out the song. Claire fearlessly sang along, smiling at Charlie every now and then. Charlie pulled onto the side of the road and parked the car as the song came to a close. Clair was laughing, her hair tousled from riding with the windows down.

"That was really fun." Claire smiled, brushing the hair back from her face.

"Yeah, it was." Charlie agreed. "It was the most fun I've had... in a really long time, actually."

Claire looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Just then, the old car spluttered and died beneath their feet.


	4. Open Up Your Heart

"What just happened?" Claire asked as the once loud, puttering car suddenly went quiet.

"I dunno... It just died." Charlie gaped.

"Well, can't you check it? Or... pop the hood or something?" Claire asked. She looked around, but saw next to nothing. The last building they had passed had been a bar a few miles back.

"Sure, sure," Charlie said with uncertainty. He got out of the car and opened up the hood. He stood, staring uncertainly at the various parts that sat in the car. He didn't know what they were or what they did. He was hoping the problem would be something easy to spot; something easy to fix. He was no car expert. Nowhere close. He closed the car up, giving Claire an apologetic glance. She sighed and stepped out of the car. He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking sheepish.

"I dunno what's wrong with the car." he told her as she walked around to stand beside him.

"Shocker." Claire said, looking down the road. "Can't you call someone?"

"I don't have my phone. It's in my car." Charlie explained.

"That's terrific. Mine is in April's bag. At the beach." Claire gritted her teeth in frustration.

"You wanna walk?"

"We don't have any other choice, do we?"

"Oh, right."

They walked down the road quietly at a slow, steady pace. Charlie walked a foot away from Claire, afraid that if he was too close to her, she'd bite his head off. Claire was really too frustrated to notice Charlie's distance. She couldn't belive she had actually started to fall for... She stopped mid-thought. She glanced up at the darkened sky. The sun had set. It was nearly ten o'clock at night. She could see the bar up ahead. Charlie and she walked up to the bar and enetered hastily. Charlie walked up to the phone, but found a sign over it reading 'Out of Order.' He sighed and sat at the bar. Claire tried the telephone despite the sign, but found it was, indeed, broken.

"Can I have a beer?" Charlie addressed the bartender.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked.

"Well, we're here. We might as well drink. You should consider a drink, too. You could use one." Charlie stated, taking the beer from the bartender.

"Fine," Claire growled, sitting beside Charlie.

"And besides," Charlie added, "there's no one here who recognizes me. So, we _could _have a pretty good time."

Claire watches Charlie bring the beer bottle to his lips and take a long drink. She calls out her drink to the bartender. Charlie lifts his bottle to her in a sort of toast before taking another drink of his beer. Claire got her glass of alcohol and drank it quietly. She and Charlie exchanged sideways glances, listening to the stereo play old Elvis songs and hits made by artists neither of them knew. Twenty minutes later, they were slamming down empty shot glasses. Claire was feeling much more at ease with their situation and she was actually not being completely hostile with Charlie. Charlie decided he liked Claire a lot. He liked her smile and her laugh and her face and her personality. He emptied another shot glass of its contents before the radio station began playing the familiar tune of Kiss's song "Rock and Roll All Night." Charlie and Claire looked at each other both saying in unison, "I love this song!"

"You wanna dance?" Charlie asked, rising from his barstool after downing his beer and another shot glass.

Claire laughed and stood, following him out onto the dance floor. Charlie and Claire got used to one another's dancing styles and after getting in sync, they were really moving. Charlie belted out the lyrics, hitting high falsetto notes that made Claire laughed as she harmonized with the bassist. She threw her arms in the air, moving her hips to the beat. Charlie threw back his head, letting out a "whoo" enthusiastically. Claire and Charlie were gaining the attentions of the few people in the bar. The crowd turned to watch the two sing and dance. Charlie grabbed hold of Claire's waist and lifted her in the air before swinging her in an old dance move that sent Claire reeling. She landed on her feet and continued dancing, not missing a beat. Charlie's feet moved quickly and lightly on the floor as he swiftly did the Charleston. Once Charlie grew weary of dancing alone, he and Claire ended the dance together. The small crowd of the bar clapped as their dance ended along with the song.

Charlie's chest rose and fell heavily. Claire looked into his eyes and she tip-toed to kiss him as he reached behind her head and pulled her mouth to his. The radio hummed a softer melody as the two kissed passionately on the dance floor. Claire felt her heartbeat flutter restlessly like the wings of a hummingbird inside her chest. She raked her fingers through Charlie's blonde locks and she felt him pull her closer until their bodies collided. She wondered why she was letting him kiss her like this when they barely knew each other. She wondered why she didn't really care that she barely knew him. Claire sighed into Charlie, feeling safe around him. The two parted, hearts beating in rhythm. Charlie stared deep into Claire's eyes and she looked away.

"Uhm, we should probably find a ride back to LA." she muttered, blushing.

"We should..." Charlie breathed suggesting that they should do the exact opposite.

Claire took a step back and she stated, "Let's see if we can walk back to the main road."

"Okay... WHy don't you want to ask one of these fellas?" he asked. Then, he looked at the room of people, muttering, "I see your point."

They walked down the road, giggling about their performance at the bar. Charlie sang the Kiss song's chorus again and Claire smiled, listening to the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry about kissing you like that." Claire muttered, all joking aside.

Charlie looked at her, frown on his face. "Yeah. Me too." he said, but he didn't sound like he meant it.

Claire nodded. "What did you mean earlier?" she finally asked.

"What?" he asked, looking from his shoes to her.

"When you said that this was the most fun you've had in a long time." Claire reminded him.

"Oh, uhm," Charlie droned, running his hand through his messy hair. "I really don't have much fun. Lately, Liam's really been hard on me about the band..." Charlie answered evasively.

"How?"

Charlie shook his head, but remained silent.

"I don't want to seem rude."

"No, no, it's just... Liam, he's just really wanting us to get popular." he faltered.

Claire was silent this time.

Charlie continued, "He says I'm not important to the band. Just because I don't do drugs or whatever. He says nobody cares about me, he says they really only care about the lead singer."

Claire frowned. "That's... That's not true." she consoled him. Although, she had noticed April really only gushed over Liam... not so much over Charlie, although she did like him, too.

Charlie shrugged. "I mean, I know it is. Liam's the main guy in the band. He's more popular, funnier, better looking than me." Charlie murmured, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked.

"No, no one could be funnier than you." Claire smiled, elbowing him playfully. "And I think you're pretty good-looking." she added, blushing.

"What?" he asked, smiling lightly.

"You heard me." Claire giggled.

"Well, I think you are pretty good-looking, too." Charlie replied with a blush of his own.

Claire smiled at him. "You know, I think I got you all wrong." she admitted.

"Really?" Charlie teased.

"Yeah, you're pretty down-to-earth. And you don't have that cockiness most famous people have."

"Thanks, I try not to get a big head. Even though I _am _a major rock star." Charlie sarcastically responded.

Claire heard the bitter tinge to his words and frowned. "You are a pretty amazing guy, though." she told him, stopping and touching his arm lightly.

"Thanks," he uttered.

And Claire could tell he didn't believe a word she'd just said.


	5. A Moment in the Spotlight

Charlie and Claire decided to sleep in the broken down car until daylight. Clire offered Charlie the more comfortable backseat to sleep in, but Charlie declined. So, while Claire slept comfortably across the back seats, Charlie slept up front in the driver's seat that-- like the passenger seat-- did not recline. The dawn came fast and Charlie and Claire slept until midday. Charlie awoke first, shaking Claire gently to rouse her from her sleep. Claire rubbed her eyes with a small yawn and smiled up at Charlie. "Time to go?" she sleepily asked as he helped her out of the car. He nodded and they started back towards the main road.

"So, what's it like being a celebrity?" Claire asked.

"Ot's okay... For awhile." Charlie shrugged. "But I never know who my real friends are, you know? I never know if they're just being my friend to get a backstage pass or a song or a moment in the spotlight."

"That's no good," Claire lamely said, feeling really sorry for him.

"Yeah, even my brother uses me. I'm just the 'little brother' in the band. I'm the one who keeps him from overdosing. The one who writes the songs. He wouldn't keep me in the band if I didn't do that." Charlie bitterly laughed.

"You can't think like that.... Charlie, I'm sure your brother loves you. And... you've got me as a friend, right?"

"Uh, right..." he muttered, glancing at his feet.

After reaching the highway, waved down a large minivan containing a mother and her two kids. Charlie pulled his shades out and covered his eyes with them before the woman came to a stop. Claire frowned, did he not want to be seen with her? She shook her head before asking the mother if she didn't mind giving them a ride. The mother shook her head, saying it was no problem. Claire gave the woman the beach's name and the woman began driving. The mother chit-chatted endlessly while the children gaped at the strangers in their car. The oldest child, a girl of nine years, was studying Charlie's profile with intensity. He smiled at the girl before turning away from her and looking out the window. Claire sat silently and listened to the mother talk. They pull up to an empty end of the beach and dumps Claire and Charlie off there. Claire thanked the woman before looking down the beach. They had quite a walk before them to get to the part of the beach Claire recognized and currently vacationed by. Charlie shoved his hands into his pockets, looking torn.

"Well, let's get going." Claire told him, waving for him to follow.

Charlie smiled unconvincingly before shuffling after her.

As they neared their destination, Charlie got a pained expression on his face. Claire shrugged it off, but then, when they were minutes away from turning the corner and getting back to the populated area of the beach, Charlie grabbed her arm and stopped her. "What?" Claire asked, back tracking so that she and him were face-to-face. Charlie ran a hand through his hair and removed the sunglasses from his face. He looked out towards the ocean for a minute. "What, Charlie?" Claire asked a little impatient.

Charlie bit his lip before returning his gaze to Claire. "We had fun today, didn't we?" he asked.

"Yeah, we did..." Claire answered uneasily.

"Well... I really, really like you, Claire... I do... but..." he floundered for words, fiddling with his shades.

"Just get on with it." Claire snapped guardedly.

"I don't think we should let anyone know about us." Charlie said, sounding detatched as if he was talking to someone he barely knew.

"What...?" Claire breathed, feeling as though she'd been smacked.

"I don't think anyone should know we were together. Don't tell anyone you know me and I won't tell anyone I know you." Charlie continued as if Claire hadn't spoken.

"Why?!" Claire yelled angrily.

Charlie winced and emotion returned to his voice. "I don't want you dealing with what I deal with. I don't want the papparrazzi to take over your world because... They'll change who you are." he reached out to hold her hand, but Claire recoiled.

"That's bull, Charlie, and you know it!" Claire accused.

"Claire, listen. We... Just..." the cold, detatched look came back into his eyes as he said, "Don't tell anyone. I won't. It'll be like it never happened. You never met me and I never met you."

"Good! I wish I had never met you!" Claire yelled, tears pooling in her eyes.

Charlie's eyes sparked as the emotion once again returned to him. He opened his mouth to protest, but Claire cut him short.

"No! Just stop!" Claire exclaimed, folding her arms. "You know, I thought I had misjudged you. I thought you really cared about me!"

Tears welled up in Claire's eyes and Charlie mumbled, "Claire, I do care about you... That's why this has to be done..."

"No, Charlie! I didn't misjudge you. I hit the nail on the head... You only care about YOURSELF!" she snapped, emotions breaking her voice as she jabbed a finger at him. "Why would someone as great as you want to be with a comman, average girl like me?!"

Claire turned on her heel and began to march away. Charlie called out to her. "Leave me alone!" Claire cried before racing off. Charlie sighed, walking after her. Claire reached the beach in a teary-eyed blur. She tramped through the sand and was nearly trampled by the mob of girls and reporters who had seen Charlie coming up the beach a short time after her appearance. She stopped walking and looked back. The shades were back on his face and he was smiling at the girls as they squealed his name and pleaded for his autograph. He obliged and Claire watched him scrawl his name in messy cursive on napkins and tee shirts. She watched as he took pictures with the girls. Claire wiped her eyes and watched the cameras flashing and reporters asking him countless stupid questions. His eyes met hers for a brief second in time and his smile disappeared. She turned away quickly and raced to the vacatioon house in tears. April tried to ask her something, but Claire ignored her and ran into her room, closing the door behind her. She slid down the length of the door, her body wracking with sobs. She bit her lip as she wrapped her arms around her body. She couldn't believe she was stupid enough to think he was any different. She was stupid for trusting him.

Claire loaded her bags into the taxi cab April had hailed. She looked back at the beach, unaware that a papparrazzi had just snapped a picture of her. "Come on, Claire," April called from inside the cab. Claire climbed into the back of the cab with her friend and watched the beach shrink in the distance. She and April sat in silence the whole cab ride to the airport. She plugged her headphones into her ears in the plane and gazed out the window; she didn't want to talk to April about what had happened in LA. It will be just like Charlie said. _It'll be like it never happened. _The ride home was miserable for both Claire and April. So were the four days that followed their homecoming. On the fifth day, April was heading out the door when a swarm of photographers and reporters ambushed her. They pointed mics in her face, yelling questions and snapping pictures. April smiled, then retreated back into the apartment. She approached Claire as she sat watching the television.

"Claire, do you know why there are reporters outside our door?!" April asked, flustered.

Claire silently shrugged.

"Claire," April pleaded, "what happened out there in LA?"

"I don't want to talk abou--" Claire stopped mid-sentence as her face came up on the television. _Her _face!

April gaped. "Claire?" she asked.

The image disappeared and was replaced by Charlie Pace sitting in a room with an interviewer. Claire's heart skipped a beat when she saw him. Claire and April watched the tv, transfixed by the rockstar's words.

"So, Charlie, a lot of buzz has been going on about you and this girl here." the interviewer stated, a picture of Claire coming up on the screen behind them. Charlie turned to look at it. His heart throbbed.

"That girl?" Charlie asked, turning back to face the woman. A calm smile was on his face. "Can't say I recognize her.... Maybe I signed an autograph for her, yeah?"

"Charlie," the woman droned, "people have been saying you and the girl, Claire Littleton, spent the entire day together."

"What? Well, I really don't recognize her. I never met her."

"She came all the way to LA from Sydney, Australia, to see you. And you don't know her?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't. I mean, she looks like she's a great person. I wish I'd gotten a chance to meet her." Charlie smiled, folding his hands.

"Thank you, Charlie," the woman said, looking back to the screen with a smile.

Claire flipped the television off, muttering, "Wanker," under her breatj.

"Claire? What happened?" April asked, touching her friend's shoulder comfortingly.

Tears welled up in Claire's eyes. "I know him. I knew Charlie Pace." she blubbered.

April hugged her best friend tightly. "It'll be alright," she murmured.

Days later, the reporters were still lingering around the girls' apartment door. Neither of them could get out without being bombarded with questions and bright lights. "You know what?" Claire said, standing up. "Celebrities may have to deal with this, but I don't."

She marched out the door and the reporters shoved their microphones in her face. The woman from the interview was in the front. "Claire, tell us about your weekend with Charlie Pace?" her voice was laced with sarcasm as she asked Claire this. "We want the truth."

"Bloody hell you want the truth!" Claire snapped. "All you people want is a story."

The reporters quit yelling questions and became silent, filming Claire as she said this.

"You take a good, sweet person and make them into your reality show! All of you are just using him to get something." Claire accused, tears building up in her eyes. "You just want to sell magazines and tv shows... You're disgusting.

And Charlie Pace has had to give up so much because of you people." Claire continues. "Freedom, privacy, trust... Honesty. So, you've made a celebrity, but you have wrecked the person he is. You all should be ashamed."

Claire stifled back a sob as the interviewer asked her cameraman, "Did you get all that?" After receiving a nod, the woman turns back to Claire. "Claire, who is Charlie Pace, really?"

Claire sniffed, replying, "I don't know. The Charlie Pace _you _know... I've never met him."


	6. Here I Am, With All My Heart

Charlie turned off the tv after watching Claire say, "I've never met him." He buried his face in his hands, feeling lower than scum. "Wow, baby brother," Liam's voice broke the silence. "Didn't you say you liked her honesty?"

"Yeah." Charlie mumbled from his hands.

"Congrats, then," Liam snapped.

Charlie looked up at his brother who sat in an armchair beside him. "WHat?" Charlie asked, scowling.

"You got her to lie for you. Fan-_bloody_-tastic." Laim clapped his hands three times.

"I didn't have a bloody choice, Liam!" Charlie grumbled.

Liam laughed bitterly and stood.

"Wher are you off to?" Charlie questioned, eyebrows raised.

"To find my brother, cuz he isn't here." Liam stated.

"Are you high?" Charlie accused, thoroughly puzzled.

Liam brushed off Charlie's question. "I didn't have a _chooiice_." Liam droned in a whiney voice. His voice went back to normal when he commented, "That's all you say lately, mate."

"Really?" Charlie unsteadily asked.

"Yeah. It's your life, so it's your choice. What do you want?" Liam asked.

Charlie frowned, looking at his shoes.

"You want that bird, right?"

"Yeah," Charlie agreed.

"So, let's get her back." Liam replied.

"What?" Charlie was shocked at his brother's statement.

"C'mon, Charlie, let's get you your girl back." Liam restated. "I have recently found love with my Karen... And I think that's what you have with Claire."

"I only knew her two days." Charlie pointed out.

"So? I've only known Karen two weeks and she's changed me. In fact, I haven't used since we met. But you've been so bloody mopey, you have failed to notice." Liam proudly announced.

"That's great, Li!" Charlie jumped up and hugged his brother.

"Thanks, baby brother." Liam hugged him back. "Now, let's talk love songs."

Claire moped in her room, listening to Taylor Sift songs. She flopped facedown on her bed as "You're Not Sorry" echoed throughout her bedroom. April came in, dresses in hand and rolled her eyes. She walked over to Claire's iHome and turned off the Taylor Swift song. Claire sighed into her comforter. She lifted her head and looked at April with puffy eyes. April smiled at her friend. It was a challenging smile. "What?" Claire sniffed, reaching into her tissue box. She blew her nose into a Kleenex before returning her gaze to her friend.

"This moping of yours... It's really getting old."April smiled at her friend.

Claire weakly smiled back.

"Cheer up, Claire. I mean, who cares about Charlie Pace?" April scoffed.

"You do." Claire pointed out.

"Not anymore. I am pleased to inform you that I have quit DriveSHAFT cold turkey. Just for you." April beamed.

"No, you haven't." Claire sat up.

"Well, no, I haven't... But I have stopped obsessing over them!" April exclaimed. "Give me some credit, Claire."

Claire chuckled. "Alright," she mumbed, fiddling with the hem on her pajama pants.

"Good." April nodded. "So, there is a dance tonight at the Depot. Please go with me?"

"A dance at the Depot? For what?" Claire asked.

"You know Chelsea and Megan from work? They are throwing a party just for the heck of it." April squealed. "The theme is like... A ball room or something! It's going to be sooo romantic!"

"You only want to go because Mark is going to be there," Claire remarked.

"True... But it'll be really great fun, too."

"But Chelsea and Megan think I lied about Charlie." Claire exclaimed.

"Who gives a crap what Chelsea and Megan think?!" April almost shouts. "They're just paying for us to have a good time!"

"I guess,"

"Will you please go with me?"

"When is it?" Claire asked, wiping her eyes.

"Tomorrow night. So, you'd better stop crying or your eyes will swell shut and no one will want to dance with you." April chastised her.

"Alright, alright," Claire laughed.

"That's more like it!" April cheered.

The next afternoon, Claire shimmied into a short, white dress. She curled her hair to perfection and put on just enough makeup. April, on the other hand, wore a hot pink dress, did her hair up in an elegant bun that managed to look messy, and wore copious amounts of makeup. Claire and April headed to the dance at eight o'clock and arrived in time for the first dance. April danced with Mark while Claire loitered by the punch bowl, wrapping her arms about herself self-consciously. She was aware that nearly everyone here thought she was a liar. She sipped her punch daintily, watching April dance with Mark. Claire swayed with the next song until it mysteriously cut off. "Hey!" Chelsea yelled at no one in particular as the lights dimmed and a single spotlight appeared on the previously unoccupied stage. Screams soon rang from Chelsea's, Megan's, April's, and various other women's throats as the spotlight focused on Charlie Pace who stood on the stage, Liam in the background with a guitar.

"Claire Littleton?" he asked into the microphone.

The crowd of people grew completely silent and they parted like the Red Seas until Claire was in Charlie's sights.

"I, uh, forgot to tell you some stuff back in Cali..." Charlie said into the mic before Liam began to strum out a tune on his guitar.

"Cant blame you, for thinking

That you never really knew me

At all.

I tried to deny you.

Nothing ever made me feel so small..."

Charlie detatched the microphone from the stand before walking through the crowd of people to resume his song face-to-face with Claire.

"Here I am,

With all my heart

I hope you understand.

I know I let you down

But I'm never gonna make

That mistake again.

You brought me closer to who I really am.

So come take my hand,

I want the world to see

What you mean to me."

Charlie finished the song up and Liam strummed out the ending chords. Charlie lowered the mic and gazed with starstruck eyes at Claire. "I'm so sorry... I was wrong... About everything. Especially about us." he took her hand in his just as the woman interviewer barged into the room, mic in hand. She shoved her mic in Charlie's face and had the cameras rolling in a split second. Charlie looked annoyed at first, but then, he released his microphone and grabbed the woman's.

Looking into the camera, Charlie confessed, "I lied about knowing Claire... I know her. She's got a horrible temper, she loves the band Kiss, and... I'm crazy about her." Charlie turned to face Claire. "Please, Claire, forgive me? I'm so sorry I hurt you and... Please forgive me?"

The camera zoomed in as Claire nodded, teary-eyed. Charlie grinned from ear-to-ear. He tossed the mic back at the lady, telling her, "Go away... Now."

The woman and her camera man left promptly. Claire let her tears spill over. Charlie wiped them away with his thumb as her murmured soft apologies into her ear. A soft song by Mandy Moore came on again and Charlie held Claire close and they swayed to the tune of the song. Claire buried her head in Charlie's tuxedo and sniffed up her tears. Charlie gently took her chin in one hand and tilted her face up so that she was gazing into his eyes. "I'm sorry." he mumbled once more.

"It's ok." Claire whispered.

"No, it's not... I feel bloody horrible." Charlie kept his voice low.

Claire shook her head. "It's really okay, Charlie," she persisted.

"I mean, I--" Charlie was cut off by Claire as she pressed her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and soft.

Charlie sighed into her. Claire deepened the kiss, offering her whole heart to Charlie, offering her whole heart to him. Claire and Charlie maintained their swaying dance as they kissed. Finally, Claire drew back, ending the kiss. She hugged Charlie close as they dance. He held her tight and kissed the top of her blonde curls. Claire knew that she loved him. Charlie knew he loved her. And they were each other's only hope in this infinite world. And they had each other starstruck...


End file.
